As cheaply as RVs are made these days, sooner or later you are going to break something. Such was the case with the plastic storage bin tray in my RV. I found a crack running almost from top to bottom on the tray. I do not remember damaging it... rather it was probably that way since the trailer was new and I just did not notice it. As further evidence of this, when I removed the tray to repair it, I noticed busted pieces along the front side that were due to overtightning the mounting screws with power tools.

I suppose I should have just purchased another tray, but I always wanted to attempt a plastic repair job. You never know, some day this skill might come in handy when a holding tank or other item must be repaired which is difficult to remove.

So I purchased a Polyvance model 5700HT "Airless" plastic welding kit to repair the tray. The kit is a bit expensive, but if you need to repair something you cannot easily remove from your RV, I suppose it becomes worth it.

At least that is the justification I used on my better-half when I purchased it.

Airless welder is just a fancy name for a hot iron. The kit does come with a lot of different rods, each of which is intended for a different material. So the most critical part of the repair is plastic identification. Most plastic products do have a symbol or marking on them that identifies the plastic type, but unfortuately, the tray did not have such an identification.

Research into similar trays and from the identification section of the kit, I determined the plastic is likely LDPE (Low Density Poly Ethylene). It does melt, which is one huge clue. I may be wrong, but I think it is LDPE. At any rate, that is the repair technique I will use.

Depending on the plastic, there are one of several different repair techniques suggested by Polyvance, and they produce videos on most of them.

One thing they stress, and I learned - don't rush the job, and don't force it by applying too much pressure on the iron.

The kit does come with an iron that has different temperature settings. Depending on the plastic you are repairing, a certain temperature will work best. Again, that is one reason it is critical to determine the type of plastic.

I discovered that the stainless steel mesh material (provided in the kit) worked particularly well. I was able to embed the mesh into the plastic with the iron. This created a very strong repair, especially at the areas where the plastic was cracked from screws drilled through it.

Unfortunately, I used up all of the stainless mesh from the kit. But you can re-order refill items separately - although they are a bit expensive (there are different brands available though).

All in all, I was quite pleased with the outcome of the repair, especially given this was my first attempt at plastic repair.

Another product I would recommend is Flex Seal Flex Shot. Yea, I know it is "As Seen on TV" gimmickery, but the product does work. I used it to seal under the tray when re-installing it. As I described in the video, the can of Flex Shot was a year old, and like most glues and caulks, the nozzle was clogged. However, unlike most glues, I was able to easily remove the cured "plug" from the nozzle, and was able to re-use the remaining contents of the can. At $13 per can, not having to throw a half-can of sealant away is a great asset.

When I re-installed the tray, to keep from busting out more of the plastic under the screw heads, I used fender washers - which the RV factory should have done in the first place.

I am just getting a bit tired of the lousy workmanship found in today's RVs. But I guess as we keep buying them, they won't change much. So I suppose it's our fault as consumers for not demanding higher quality.

In conclusion, it was a leap-of-faith to attempt such a repair without the ability to practice. But I was able to pull it off.